Have you ever seen a completely Catholic comic book? Neither have I! That is why I'm so excited to share with you that four of the internet's most famous Catholic cartoonists have collaborated to create "The Ultimate Catholic Comic Book". You may not know...
Quite often I’ll come across an article about the dangers of screen-time and social media, and the egocentric, Me-First world that it exacerbates. I’ve read a lot of them, and I’m a little done with them. I know they’re right, and I’ll agree with them, but then I’ll...
I was listening to some music on YouTube while cleaning the other day when a song I had never heard before came on and quickly caught my attention. Now, I'm the first to admit that I'm not up on current secular hits and, to be honest, I pretty much only ever listen to...
Synergy: "the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects." It's a phenomenon that - if you've experienced it - almost comes with it a spiritual and...
Have you heard of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, otherwise known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succor? Even if you didn't know the name, chances are you've seen the famous icon representing this title of Our Lady, as it is replicated and displayed in many Catholic churches...
"Spotlight of a Calligrapher", published by Ascension Presents, tells the story of Erica Tighe, a designer and calligrapher. Erica's story of how she came to be a full-time calligrapher is moving and poignant. She tells how she came back from a year and a half of...
Does a beautiful Church building matter to Christians? What about adornments like statues, altar rails, decorative pews and such? Stained glass... Stations of the Cross... the placement and design of the Tabernacle... If God is everywhere, especially in the humble and...
It’s time to celebrate our Church’s birthday, the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit (See Acts 2:1-22; 1 Corinthians 12:3-13; John 10:19-23)! We celebrate Pentecost this Sunday! After Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, He did not leave us alone. He founded the...
"A foretaste of the Heavenly Liturgy"¹ Several years ago I stumbled upon a video of a lecture given by Denis R. McNamara, that blew me away, and has subsequently traveled with me, so to speak, in my meditative, Mass-going, beauty-loving journeys as a Catholic. Every...
Even if you weren't aware of their names, or haven't heard them in Latin, chances are you're familiar on some level with these two traditional hymns, both composed as prayers by none other than the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas. In addition to sharing a common...
Have you noticed the proliferation of zombie apocalypse imagery and themes everywhere in popular entertainment? The phenomenon is ironic to me, because just now as zombies preoccupy campy media, real life has become increasingly anesthetized. Death and sin are swept...
I was once walking around the outside of an incredibly beautiful cathedral; I walked around it twice just gazing in marvel upon the architecture, and trying to work out, or glimpse an understanding of what must have gone through the architect’s mind as he designed and...
Sometimes the choir sounds so beautiful at Mass that it's tempting to not join in singing. You're inclined to just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. But, that's just it. This isn't a show. This is Mass. This is our highest form of worship and prayer and it is...
What is the essence of music? As a philosopher, music fascinates me. As a Catholic, music does something much more – it brings me before the face of God. Josef Pieper, one of the great philosophical thinkers of the twentieth century, once gave an address during...
Did you know that these five mysteries were introduced by Pope John Paul II in 2002? His Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae established a Year of the Rosary - somewhat akin to this past year's Year of Mercy. For those who try to pray five decades daily, these...
Far from a distraction away from God or - even worse, as some claim - idolatry, sacred art makes sense. Whether as a teaching tool, a meditative window or - on the part of the artist - an act of human participation in the creative impulse of God, beauty in art speaks...
The following is a companion piece to Part 3 of our Masculinity Series, "Becoming More Manly." The glory of God is man fully alive. - St Iranaeus Jason Momoa’s short film Canvas of my Life is an extraordinarily powerful and beautiful depiction of manhood, despite its...
Christian music lyrics seemed to be overly simplistic and unoriginal. It was odd to be a Christian that didn’t like Christian music. Or even understand it. But, honestly, I was a Christian music cynic. I wanted something more than just the same line over and over...
Ever since I first heard about kintsugi a few years ago, it has been one of my favorite motifs for understanding healing and redemption. As is explained in this video, kintsugi is the is an ancient Japanese art of repair. Think of a cracked vase. Rather than throwing...
One of my favorite texts of all time is Pope St. John Paul II’s Letter to Artists. What I read in this beautiful letter presented me with a deep call to foster artistic talents in myself and to be confident in recognizing that to be an artist is an essential part of...
As someone that tries to share the faith with others, I often find myself struggling to explain prayer. What difference does it really make? Isn't it enough that I simply help others, that I be a "good person"? Albeit convincing for many – sometimes I myself fall into...
When Lecrae released his album Anomaly back in 2014, he became the only artist in Billboard history to have the #1 spot in both Gospel Music and the top 200. It seems he is a master of being "in the world, but not of it". His music reaches both Christians...
Pope Benedict XVI once said, "Dear Artists, you are the custodians of beauty!" and it's hard not to think of this when you listen to Alanna Boudreau. This gifted singer and songwriter epitomizes the very essence of this quote with her heartfelt songs and lyrics. They...
I wouldn't be the first blogger to point out that a song like "Let it Be" has certain Marian overtones, but I may be the first one to point out a certain reoccurring Marian theme known as the Stabat Mater in popular music. May is the month of Mary, so usually we are...
A highly creative piece, Andrei Rublev's Troitsa (Russian for Triune or Trinity) hails from the summit of a more-than-thousand-year-old iconographic tradition. As you might have surmised, it is a Trinitarian interpretation of Gen 18:1-16, the episode in which "three...